


Taken by Suprise

by The_Hobbit_Ninja



Category: Derry Girls (TV)
Genre: Cute, Derry Girls - Freeform, First Date, Fluff, Prom, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:20:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28975002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Hobbit_Ninja/pseuds/The_Hobbit_Ninja
Summary: The sound of the doorbell sent adrenaline from her scalp to her stomach to her fingertips and back. She dashed the tear from her face, praying her cheap makeup would remain intact.Scraping up the disheveled remains of dignity and poise, Erin pulled the front door open.And there was James. James, in his dorky Doctor Who scarf, hair gel making his curls tighter, cheeks pink from the cold, eyes sparkling with a depth of feeling she couldn’t put a label on. She thought the cliche butterflies had died with her hopes for the night, but right then they inexplicably fluttered back up, soft wings of nervous pleasure tickling her stomach.“James I...I thought you were at your creep convention…” she could have smacked herself. Was that really what she had to say?“First of all it’s not a creep convention, and...it’s not important.”His smile was beautifully genuine, tinged with a new hope neither wanted to acknowledge.
Relationships: James Maguire & Erin Quinn, James Maguire/Erin Quinn
Comments: 17
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Is it possible to NOT ship these two after James ditches his creep convention for Erin in pretty much the cutest way possible? I just finished Derry Girls, and *SPOILER ALERT* was crying when James left, and crying more when he came backXD  
> The prom episode was just beautifully done, and I thought it would be fun to elaborate, add, and expand their internal monologues (and make the ship sail, with or without the director's permission haha)  
> I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing! 
> 
> THERE IS A SOLID CHUNK OF CURSING IN THIS FIC, so prepare yourself haha;)
> 
> Something about the way that you walked into my living room  
> Casually and confident lookin' at the mess I am  
> But still you, still you want me  
> Stress lines and cigarettes, politics, and deficits  
> Late bills and overages, screamin' and hollerin'  
> But still you, still you want me...  
> And oh, stupid things I do  
> I'm far from good, it's true  
> But still, I find you  
> Next to me
> 
> ~Imagine Dragons

The clock ticked. Every jerky snap of the minute hand felt like a drop of sizzling grease on her skin, popping out of a snarky pan of humiliation and disillusionment. She couldn’t even summon the energy to be mad at John Paul. It was her own fucking fault. What kind of moron swoops in on a lad seconds after his breakup, taking advantage of his stupefying dejection to muscle in an invitation to prom? What kind of fucking idiot does that and expects it to pay off? “I do.” she thought. Stupid, desperate, socially awkward, fucking ridiculous me.  
“What was that?”  
Erin realized “I do” must have been inadvertently audible.  
“Nothing Ma. He’s not coming. Thank sweet baby Jesus I have an excuse to take this off.”  
She tried to inject a note of humor into her voice; the threat of tears lurking behind her eyes and clawing up her throat just made her sound like a demoralized smoker.  
She shuffled out of the kitchen, straining to move in the satin straightjacket. As she lurched up the stairs, a tear slipped down her cheek. She pulled the age-old trick of looking at the ceiling to keep its salty companions from following suit. 

The sound of the doorbell sent adrenaline from her scalp to her stomach to her fingertips and back. She dashed the tear from her face, praying her cheap makeup would remain intact.  
Scraping up the disheveled remains of dignity and poise, she pulled the front door open.

And there was James. James, in his dorky Doctor Who scarf, hair gel making his curls tighter, cheeks pink from the cold, eyes sparkling with a depth of feeling she couldn’t put a label on. She thought the cliche butterflies had died with her hopes for the night, but right then they inexplicably fluttered back up, soft wings of nervous pleasure tickling her stomach.  
“James I...I thought you were at your creep convention…” she could have smacked herself. Was that really what she had to say?  
“First of all it’s not a creep convention, and...it’s not important.”  
His smile was beautifully genuine, tinged with a new hope neither wanted to acknowledge.  
“Should we go?” he cocked his head toward the door.  
“Can you give me one minute?”  
His smile was answer enough. It was a smile she hadn't seen before.  
She struggled up the stairs, fighting the horrendously tight, flashy cocoon she was being strangled in.  
When she reappeared, her shimmery straightjacket was replaced by the softly pleated, terrible, perfect Easter dress. Somehow, Erin had a feeling James liked her better in the formerly detested plan B dress. She was right.

************

They were silent in the taxi for several minutes. It was the pleasant kind of silence, the kind that likes to be broken but doesn’t beg for it. James wanted to talk, he wanted to say something clever or funny or just nice, but the words got stuck on the way from his brain to his mouth, getting tangled up in the vocal cords or something. He wanted to make Erin laugh, or smile, or have some reaction to SOMETHING. He wanted to give vent to the welling, impulsive, unquenchable, undesirable and yet necessary feeling that was slowly creeping into his mind, filling the part of his brain reserved for Erin. That part had been reserved quite sometime ago, though he’d never acknowledged the fact. It was reserved, and yet empty. He needed her to fill that part of him on purpose, not just unknowingly make it impossible for him to focus. He needed her to understand, but was terrified that she would. He gulped in some oxygen, and prepared to say something. His brain wasn’t quite far enough ahead of his face to plan what the words would be, but they were going to be something. At the exact same time Erin took a deep breath and started a sentence, literally lacking rhyme or reason. Their voices collided, shattering into awkward excuses and “you go” and “go ahead” and “I wasn’t-” among others.  
Erin waited a moment, then “I guess I just wanted to say thank you.”  
“For what?” he asked stupidly. If he was being honest with himself, he just wanted to set her up to say that she wanted him there. That she was glad he came.  
“well...I just...umm…”  
Spit it out Erin, she thought, it’s James for Christ’s sake, when has he ever judged you for anything, ever said something unkind to you, ever made fun of you in your stupidest, most fucked up moments? Never.  
“I never really wanted to go with John Paul. He’s too good for me. He was just dating a MODEL for Christ’s sake--”  
“No Erin, you’re too good for HIM. What kind of fucking prick leaves someone like you hanging? What kind of asshole would rather have you in some restrictive cocoon than that terrible, sexy Easter dress? And he was dating a girl who had done SOME MODELING. She wasn’t a model, and she had less brains than Michelle which is saying something, and if John Paul thinks she’s smart, he’s not just a prick and an asshole he’s also fucking mental.”  
“James you did NOT just say this dress is SEXY!”  
She dissolved into laughter, almost snorting. This was not exactly the type of making her laugh that James had planned on. He also hadn’t been kidding about the dress being sexy. Actually it wasn’t sexy at all, but she was. There was a boiling rage spitting at John Paul somewhere deep down in him, but it was hugely eclipsed by satisfaction at having Erin firmly and gladly next to him, the girl he knew would laugh off his conventional prom invitation if he'd offered one, but apparently could be taken by surprise.  
“But really James, thank you. And you know what, fuck John Paul, this is better.”  
He could have sworn he heard her whisper under her breath,  
“You’re better.”


	2. Chapter 2

Michelle literally and metaphorically slammed into them when Erin and James arrived at the hideously decorated prom.  
“Christ, my lads won’t stay in their fucking corners!”

“Michelle, you don’t mean to imply that you brought two lads to prom? Because that would be fucking mental. Which, come to think of it probably means you did.” James sighed, resigned to the insanity of his sex-crazed cousin.

“Of course I did! How could I choose? One’s a massive ride and the other is hot as FUCK.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?” asked Erin.

“To the layman Erin, but the terms signify vastly different experiences to those of us more...MATURE.” Michelle flicked her hair and bit her lips in a manner she would consider seductive and the rest of the word would consider physically painful to watch. 

“Jesus Christ Michelle, do you think about anything but sex?”

James was uncomfortably aware of how thinly he disguised how much he thought about it himself.  
“Not much really, no. Do you EVER think about it you virgin prick? I mean, aside from drilling the bitchy Ukranian prostitute?”

“She wasn’t a prostitute Michelle, and she wasn’t bitchy. She was pretty hot honestly.”

_Jesus fucking christ James, are you actually talking up your weird-ass two-day truly bitchy and barely hot “girlfriend” in front of...Erin? He could have smacked himself; all Michelle’s insults now seemed wildly applicably _.__

Erin could swear his face was turning an uncanny shade of purple, but maybe it was just the awful lighting. Any musings on the significance of James’s uncomfortable coloring were drowned out by an unwelcome slice of jealousy and guilt. She should never have called out Katya like she did, it was an absolute dick move, and--oh god her entire being cringed thinking it--she did it because the idea of James all over some hot Russian girl made her insides feel like they didn’t belong inside her. Even all the way back then she wanted him, but couldn’t quite get past all the English and “gay” and Michelle’s-cousin-ness. The sharp jealousy felt boiling hot and clammy cold at the same time. 

“I’m just going to step outside for a wee bit of air.” 

Her face felt altogether too hot as she squeezed through the mess of bodies clogging the small room. The evening air was like cold water after a mint leaf; it was deliciously refreshing compared to the oppressive, steaming sweating interior atmosphere. Erin dropped down on a bench, the cold slats seeping chill through her dress. She draped her arms across the back of the tiny bench, letting her neck relax and head fall back to look directly at the sky. The diamond flower stars bloomed against the velvet black night. She inhaled as far as possible, letting the crisp oxygen smack the ridiculous imaginings out of her over-romantic brain. She would crush those fucking butterflies, really wipe out their repulsively stubborn ticklish little selves. She commanded herself to think about the most boring and revoltingly mundane things possible. _Jenny Joyce _. No, she’s not exactly boring, just a pretentious asshole. _Sister Michael _. She was actually quite entertaining, if somewhat mundane. The thought of the Protestant lad calling Sister Michael “that angry penguin woman” made a chuckle tug at her throat. _No, boring things Erin, boring things _. _History test _. Actually nerve-wracking, not boring. At least she wouldn’t fail the portion on Oliver Cromwell, Orla hadn’t shut up about that prick for weeks. Erin shuddered to think about Orla’s coming reaction to the guillotine. She was sure it would be forceful and exuberant, somehow. _Damn it to hell, why was it so hard to think of boring things? _Maybe life is only boring if you don’t think about it... _no matter, boring things _. Boring things to keep his name out. Boring things to keep rejection out. Boring things to keep Katya out, to keep the humiliation out, to keep goddamn James out because why the fuck could she not get him out of her head GODDAMN IT! _Fuck it, she thought, if James won’t stay out of my fucked up brain I’ll just dwell on his negative qualities. He’s Michelle’s cousin. He attends a Doctor Who club. He’s ENGLISH. He’s Michelle’s cousin. He’s ENGLISH. He has the best curly hair...no no stop it, he’s ENGLISH, Michelle’s cousin, ENGLISH, he is the sweetest boy in Der...NO NO STOP IT, Michelle’s cousin, ENGLISH, gorgeous eyes...DAMN IT _!______________

__________________Erin sighed, huffed, groaned, and sat up at the same time. The combination made it come off as if she’d been kicked in the gut. Working her fingers over her temples she groaned under her breath, “Damn it get out James I don’t want you-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Oh, I--sorry I--I guess I’ll get out of your way Erin. Michelle said the last thing you needed was an English prick, guess she-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“JESUS CHRIST JAMES you scared the living SHIT out of me! What are you talking about?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Erin’s panicked eyes snapped up, locking onto James’s incredulous ones._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“What am I TALKING ABOUT? You literally just told me to leave you alone.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Catch yourself on, I wasn’t talking to YOU!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“You said, and I quote, ‘get out James I don’t want you.’”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“No I didn’t!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Are you feeling alright Erin?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“I’m just grand thanks.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She was pretty sure a drop of water would sizzle on her face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“So...can I sit?” he asked after a long moment, uncertainty lacing that unbearably English accent._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Oh yes of course you can, yeah you can, just as ya like, no problem, you can sure-” _GOD ERIN JUST SHUT UP _she screamed internally, biting the inside of her lip.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Are you sure you're doing alright Erin? You sound a bit ill…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Not a bit, I'm grand!” her voice was too chipper._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Alright…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________A few moments slipped away, before Erin decided the silence must be broken at all costs. A few moments had gone by, when James decided the silence must be broken at all costs. Their words collided yet again, dispersing in a squelched, embarrassed pause._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“You go.” Erin managed, her voice drooping, if a voice can droop._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Well I...uh, I mean…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________It was not lost on Erin how he had draped his arm--not subtly or gracefully--over the back of the bench. She turned slightly to face him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“I…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“You...what?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“I…” James’s face looked very different than she’d ever seen it. He looked like he had two minutes to write an impromptu essay on the history of Sri Lanka. It was a furious mess of nervous, inquisitive, disbelieving, excited terror._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“James, what do you-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Her words were dissolved in the warm, irresistible pressure of his lips on hers.  
His brain was glitching; he was horrified by what he’d done, and yet he wouldn’t change a single thing about that moment. For a second she was frozen, nearly jerking away, stunned by the electric adrenaline sizzling from her stomach to her fingertips. The shock lasted about one and an eighth seconds. After one and two eights seconds, she wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into the foreign, delicious sensation. He circled his arm around her waist, pulling her close till he could feel her warmth pressed against him. After an eternal six seconds, she pulled away, inhaling like a diver coming up for air. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“But James…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________He was having trouble concentrating on anything but the intense need to be stupid some more._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“You’re ENGLISH.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“And you’re a Derry girl.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“You’re Michelle’s cousin!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“You’re a sort of bully by accident!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“You’re ENGLISH!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“You’re obsessed with popular lads!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“You attend a creep convention!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“You have the most mental friend group of any girl I’ve ever met!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“You’re ENGLISH!!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Jesus Christ does it matter?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Does what matter?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Any of it?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Erin looked at him blankly for a second.  
“Come to think of it...fuck I can’t actually think at all, can you just do that again?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________His smile tasted good.  
Her hair was silky in his fingers.  
His eyelashes tickled her cheek.  
Her fingers were cool and intoxicating in his hair.  
His curls were soft and springy under her hands.  
Her lipgloss had a faint flavor of raspberry.  
His mouth was soft and warm and firm and gentle all at once.  
Her shiver as his fingers traced down her neck was unspeakably satisfying.  
After a lot more than six seconds they separated, only by a few inches, breathing deeply, more like breathing in a delicious scent than actually out of breath. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Erin...can I ask you something?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Ask away…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Are you...are you picturing John Paul or David?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Are you picturing a hot, experienced Ukranian?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“To be honest I’m picturing a pretentious, complicated, smart, gorgeous blonde Derry girl.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Well I happen to have a thing for the wee English fella…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________She cracked, giggling. Once she started, she couldn’t seem to stop. In a second they were cracking up, the weight of misunderstanding and nerves and awkwardness and unaccepted, ungratified desire lifted, steaming off of them in bursts of laughter. After a solid minute of this, they suddenly stopped laughing and collided again, more confident, sinking wholeheartedly into the sensation of acceptance and affection._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________****************_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“SWEET JESUS WHAT ARE YOU FUCKERS PLAYIN’ AT?!? Get off her dickface!!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________James and Erin appeared to have a mutual seizure of terror. Erin jumped nearly out of her skin, accidentally elbowing James in the teeth. He recoiled, with a resounding “OWWW,” causing her to jerk back and topple from her precarious position (she had half-consciously migrated onto his lap, a fact he had been VERY conscious of and VERY okay with). As she careened towards the unforgiving concrete base of the bench James reached out to steady her but got hold of a handful of her hair instead, wrenching a yelp from her and causing him to jerk his hand away and her, in turn, to fall hard off the edge of the bench, landing with her dress hiked up around her mid thigh and all the skin peeled off her elbow. Michelle was not impressed.  
“Just what do you think you’re doin’?”  
“Uh…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Ummm…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Well you see…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“We just stepped out for…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Yeah, just stepped out for a wee bit of air…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“A wee bit of air my ass! Erin, you don’t know what a terrible mistake you’re making! He’s ENGLISH for christ’s sake!! And he’s gay!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“God Michelle, I was literally just making out with a girl!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“You’re practically a girl yourself dickface!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________________“Uhggggg” was the buzzing, annoyed exhale released by all three simultaneously.  
A sharp rapping sound, like knuckles on a window pane interrupted the encounter.  
The three whipped around in the direction of the continued tapping. To Michelle’s extreme amusement and James and Erin’s extreme discomfort, Orla’s face was plastered up against the window overlooking the little yard and bench. Her nose was smashed flat against the pane, breath steaming up the glass; she looked vaguely bemused, complacently eating popcorn. Clare chose that moment to stick her head around the door, “where ya gone to Michelle, I think Mae is gettin’ a bit out of control!” then “Erin, what’re ye doin’ on the ground like that? And James, what--” a look of revelation rippled over her anxious face “YOU TWO WEREN’T--”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“They were indeed Clare!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Orla popped up behind Clare. “Yes, I saw the wains whispering secrets into each other’s mouths with me own two eyes!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Orla, you do know what a kiss is, right? It’s important to me that you’re aware of the definition of kissing!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Aye Michelle I know what a kiss is, it’s what the angels do to all the babies to make the wee dent between their little noses and mouths!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Ach christ will she ever grow up?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“And you can’t call them wains Orla, you’re not a mite bigger then they are!” Clare’s voice was somewhat higher in pitch than normal; alcohol seemed to have that effect on her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“I can call em’ wains if I like! After all” Orla lowered her voice to a rasping whisper “I’ve got a huntin’ knife.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“God Orla what’s that got to do with anything?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Huntin’ knives are just so cracker!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Shut up ya fuckers, I think we’ve lost the thread here! My English prick of a cousin was makin’ out with one of our own!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Who do ye own, Michelle?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“No Orla, OUR OWN. Like our FRIEND. Like ERIN.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Orla hollered into Clare's ear “D’ye hear that Clare? Our cousin was making an Erin of her own!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________As Erin surveyed her singular, messy, loveable, laughable group of friends, she sighed. As annoying as it was that they never came separately, she tucked away the pleasant thought that at least, in the best sense, they could never be separated._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Through all the shouting, James caught Erin’s eye. The smile they shared was a joke, a question, and a promise all at once. Erin thought that if the whole scene were turned into a poem, it would be one that even Miss DeBrun would approve of. After all, hadn’t she said that “great poetry is raw and real and messy and glorious and ugly?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did you like this little story? If you enjoyed and would like more Derry Girls content, drop me a line in the comments:) I always love to hear from you, compliments or criticism!
> 
> Also, was anyone else ever told the little dent between the nose and mouth was an "angel's kiss"? That's what people called it when I was young, and I figured Orla would take that to heart lolXD

**Author's Note:**

> I hope I wrote these two in character! Would you like the rest of their prom night? Drop me a like and a line in the comments to let me know!  
> I have ten other works on AO3 from several fandoms, so make sure to check those out! (gotta love some blatant self-promoting lol)
> 
> Also make sure to check out some fantastic James/Erin fics by wonderful creators here on AO3!  
> "It's Not Important" by softgoldenglow  
> "Shooting Stars" by softgoldenglow  
> "(Don't) Rock the Boat" by wedelia  
> "What is Comfort?" by welcometomychaos


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